Specialist training in medical microbiology across Europe in 2021-an update on the actual training situation based on a survey.

Background: The importance of defining and establishing professional standards for Clinical Microbiology (CM) in Europe has long been highlighted, starting with the development of a European curriculum. The first European Curriculum in Medical Microbiology (MM) was adopted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) council in 2017.

Objectives: This paper assesses how training programmes in CM in Europe align with the European curriculum, just under 5 years after its introduction, and reviews what methods of assessment are in use to assess the CM trainees' progress during training programmes.

Low thoracic muscle radiation attenuation is associated with postoperative pneumonia following partial hepatectomy for colorectal metastasis.

Background: Low skeletal muscle radiation attenuation (SM-RA) is indicative of myosteatosis and diminished muscle function. It is predictive of poor outcome following oncological surgery in several cancer types. Postoperative pneumonia is a known risk factor for increased postoperative mortality.

Improving peak concentrations of a single dose regime of gentamicin in patients with sepsis in the emergency department.

Objective: To achieve an optimal effect in patients with sepsis at the emergency department (ED), the gentamicin peak-concentration should be sufficiently high (i.e. peak-concentration/MIC ≥8-10).

Management of S. aureus bacteraemia in the Netherlands; infectious diseases consultation improves outcome.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is associated with a high mortality rate. Previously it has been shown that consultation by an internist-infectious diseases specialist (IDS) improves the outcome of patients. In this study, we evaluated the differences in management and outcome between patients with, and those without IDS consultation.